Солнце и ты- все, что мне было бы нужно! Если бы солнце светило

they are kismes— *is assassinated*

Today i was so productive. I cut my hair, pet puppies, studied physics, contemplated on my age and decided to go to sleep early

lil practice piece to fight off art block

Which puppy is who, what do you think tsh community

there’s something so hopeful about akutagawa no longer being weighed down by dazai’s words and free from his inherent manipulation due to his amnesia….and with this he is able to truly show us the maximum power of his own ability, unrestrained and untainted from dazai’s expectations of him.

previously, aku was only focused on getting stronger because it was dazai who was pushing him, dazai who was experimenting with him to truly bring out the potential he saw.

but now, aku has someone else to protect. he is a “martyr” for justice, as he said when he wielded the sword. bram’s resolve has manifested into a mindset that will truly take advantage of akutagawa’s inherent nature to defend and protect. like he did with his friends in the slums. like he does with his sister.

now we will all truly get to see just how powerful he can be. what his resolve is made of.

Higuchi’s Unrevealed Ability

my theory on what it could be…

i think that Higuchi’s ability will be called “Takekurabe” (Growing Up/Child’s Play) after her most famous work, and i believe it might have something to do with reincarnation. here’s why…

in this official art she is featured with red spider lilies, which are symbolic of death, but are also thought of as a bridge between heaven & earth…a reminder of the “cyclical nature of life & death”

Takekurabe also explores themes such as how life is fleeting. & also abt being forced into a role that you didn’t want, or wouldn’t have chosen for yourself

(plus potential foreshadowing: in this official art, Higuchi is surrounded by pinwheels— which symbolize childhood, but also the cycle of life, & the buddhist teaching of reincarnation)

back to reincarnation…

after being told that Akutagawa may never wake up, she reached out to him & a glow appeared around her hand— like she was activating an ability— before pulling away bc she remembered that he didn’t want her (or anyone’s) help

but this means that she’s able to give help in this sort of situation

additionally, the fact that she almost always appears in official arts w Akutagawa indicates that she will probably use her ability on him at some point, which makes sense considering his terminal condition

(note the pulse in the background, his bright eyes, & her white suit)

because we have yet to see her use her ability, i’m assuming that she can only use it once, so she’d be giving up her life for Akutagawa’s (a life for a life— his reincarnation)

this would imitate irl Higuchi’s unfortunately short life— with her having died at only 25 years old. it also makes sense to give her such a powerful ability since irl Higuchi is such an important figure in japanese history— japan’s first professional woman writer of modern literature

now for a less likely, but fun theory…

i wonder if Higuchi’s sister has anything to do with her ability (in bsd she’s unnamed, but her irl sister’s name was Kuniko so that’s what we’ll call her)

according to Higuchi’s bungo episode, despite her literary genius, irl Higuchi was practically useless without her sister

Kuniko was the one who made what Higuchi did possible & kept things functional behind the scenes

so i think it’d be super interesting (& a cool irl reference) if Kuniko was involved in some way with Higuchi’s ability (i also just want to see more of her bc this sister duo is so cute :’))

bonus: when i watched this anime adaptation of Takekurabe, this was the ending scene & i wonder if it was harukawa’s inspiration for this official art 🥹

white lilies represent purity, & since they were off by the side of the road, they might have represented the character’s fleeting purity. white lilies are also used at funerals to represent a soul’s return to purity & its journey to the afterlife… which circles back to the reincarnation theme 👀

“the secret history is slow paced and boring”

GOD FORBID A WOMAN HAS A LOT TO SAY

Я хочу цветы

Henry Winter getting ready to write in his diary, circa 1984.